Proposal: Rumours and Proposals Thread: Subban Talk

[Jet Walters]

I would not trade Davidson for Vatanen. Call me crazy, but the way Davidson improved last year was unbelievable. He is a defensive beast and I have a feeling he will improve even more.

Like I've said, he plays a very similar style to Lidstrom, OEL, Josi...not to say he is anywhere near as good as those players, but they all look similar while playing. Calm, not exactly flashy...but they make such incredible defensive plays with quick breakout passes. I think Davidson was showing flashes ~10 games before his injury that he has POTENTIAL to become something great. I recently rewatched his and McDavid's shifts from last season. Most of them at least. His progression through the year was remarkable.

He was depended upon to be "the guy" and took that role very seriously. He was oozing confidence out there and really led our back end. I'm hoping he is able to train hard this offseason after the injury and come to camp a beast.

I am in the minority here, but I think he is a better player than Klefbom right now and a much better player than Sekera. He is our best defenceman as it is. He does everything Sekera does but better. Bigger, faster, more physical. Sekera doesn't make breakout passes. He flips it out at the first sight of trouble.

If you can, I recommend all of you to go back and watch Davidson's last 10-20 games. You can see him getting better and better as each game goes by. I've never seen such blatant improvement from a player. He went from being a #6 to a true #2 defenceman in the span of a season.

Maybe I'm too high on him, but I really saw no flaws in his game. He was a legitimate top pairing defenceman down the stretch. I think he could fit in nicely on a first pairing anchored by a Subban, Doughty, Faulk, Petro, Shattenkirk, etc.

Plus he has an absolute cannon of a shot. I want to see him used on the PP next season unless we bring in some PP specialist D.

This is why I might try to move Sekera and get both Klefbom and Davidson reliable right handed vets to play with and go with that as a top 4.

Davidson did make remarkable strides in his game last year. It was crazy how much he improved as he got comfortable with the NHL game. But honestly, we shouldn't be all that surprised. All he has done at every level of hockey he's played in is adjust to the step up and then flourish. It just seems like he has been a late bloomer his entire life.

Sekera signed here for the money and term. I'm not sure he would waive his NMC but it's something that might work if the RH defensemen brought in were both good players.

 

[duul]

This is why I might try to move Sekera and get both Klefbom and Davidson reliable right handed vets to play with and go with that as a top 4.

Davidson did make remarkable strides in his game last year. It was crazy how much he improved as he got comfortable with the NHL game. But honestly, we shouldn't be all that surprised. All he has done at every level of hockey he's played in is adjust to the step up and then flourish. It just seems like he has been a late bloomer his entire life.

Sekera signed here for the money and term. I'm not sure he would waive his NMC but it's something that might work if the RH defensemen brought in were both good players.

I really do not like Sekera's game. He seems like a useless player to me. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, but he doesn't accomplish much of anything. It was infuriating watching him get so much PP time and offensive zone time even though I didn't see him get more than 5 shots past the defenders shinpads last year.

He is small, not physical. He slows down the game when he has the puck which some people like, but really what I saw was him mozying down the middle of the ice with the puck slowly faking passes back and forth until he hit centre then flipped a weak shot into their corner after our forwards already had to stop at the opponents blueline resulting in a loss of possession.

He just plays so slow. Like he can't comprehend the game at the regular speed. Maybe that's why he was nearly incapable of making breakout passes. He's like Gryba in that he panics and doesn't know what to do so they shoot it off the glass or in Sekera's case he just flips the puck in the sky and hopes for the best.

We needed him this year because we had nothing else, but if we really are acquiring two good defencemen this offseason, Sekera will be a #5 on our club or worse. Can't have that at his salary.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I really do not like Sekera's game. He seems like a useless player to me. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, but he doesn't accomplish much of anything. It was infuriating watching him get so much PP time and offensive zone time even though I didn't see him get more than 5 shots past the defenders shinpads last year.

He is small, not physical. He slows down the game when he has the puck which some people like, but really what I saw was him mozying down the middle of the ice with the puck slowly faking passes back and forth until he hit centre then flipped a weak shot into their corner after our forwards already had to stop at the opponents blueline resulting in a loss of possession.

He just plays so slow. Like he can't comprehend the game at the regular speed. Maybe that's why he was nearly incapable of making breakout passes. He's like Gryba in that he panics and doesn't know what to do so they shoot it off the glass or in Sekera's case he just flips the puck in the sky and hopes for the best.

We needed him this year because we had nothing else, but if we really are acquiring two good defencemen this offseason, Sekera will be a #5 on our club or worse. Can't have that at his salary.

Is it fair to call him a poor man's Bouwmeester?

 

[McWeber]

Sekera has a NMC though, hes not getting traded unless he wants to be. Honestly I have been relatively happy with him, he would be much better if he had someone that could shoot the puck on his pairing so he doesn't have to destroy shin pads left right and center. I do wish we could use him for expansion draft fodder though.

 

[duul]

Is it fair to call him a poor man's Bouwmeester?

I don't think so.

Bouwmeester is incredibly fast. One of the smoothest skating D in the NHL. He has a nice breakout pass and I've been rooting for St. Louis out of the west this year and watched all of their games thus far scouting Shattenkirk, Backes, Brouwer, and Lehtera as possible trade targets/free agent acquisitions.

Bouwmeester leaves a lot to be desired because he seems to have the tools to be a force in the NHL. He is getting a bit old now but he carved out quite an impressive career for himself. I'd love him on the Oilers paired with a Hamonic as a shutdown pairing.

He plays GIGANTIC minutes on one of the best teams in the NHL. Here's a sample.

 

[Mr Positive]

Sekera has a NMC though, hes not getting traded unless he wants to be. Honestly I have been relatively happy with him, he would be much better if he had someone that could shoot the puck on his pairing so he doesn't have to destroy shin pads left right and center. I do wish we could use him for expansion draft fodder though.

Pretty much. He's not going anywhere, so even if he's overrated he's going to be here regardless.

Chia said he was brought in as a 2nd pairing. We used him as a 1st pairing guy. As a 2nd pairing guy he will be excellent. I have little doubt of that. He had an up and down year but overall he was a solid veteran presence imo

 

[Evilsports]

I really do not like Sekera's game. He seems like a useless player to me. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, but he doesn't accomplish much of anything. It was infuriating watching him get so much PP time and offensive zone time even though I didn't see him get more than 5 shots past the defenders shinpads last year.

He is small, not physical. He slows down the game when he has the puck which some people like, but really what I saw was him mozying down the middle of the ice with the puck slowly faking passes back and forth until he hit centre then flipped a weak shot into their corner after our forwards already had to stop at the opponents blueline resulting in a loss of possession.

He just plays so slow. Like he can't comprehend the game at the regular speed. Maybe that's why he was nearly incapable of making breakout passes. He's like Gryba in that he panics and doesn't know what to do so they shoot it off the glass or in Sekera's case he just flips the puck in the sky and hopes for the best.

We needed him this year because we had nothing else, but if we really are acquiring two good defencemen this offseason, Sekera will be a #5 on our club or worse. Can't have that at his salary.

I agree to an extent. I do see a lot of wise, or even "wiley" moves by Sekera on a regular basis. The PP time if definitely frustrating though. He's playing over his head positionally though, he would be a good 3-4 d-man.

 

[Still DRAI]

The other thing about Sekera is that for a good part of the year he was dragging Fayne around. Fayne is fine as a bottom pairing defensive specialist, but he can't break the puck out of the zone to save his life, so that's why you see Sekera hanging back and playing cautious in my opinion

 

[Mr Positive]

The other thing about Sekera is that for a good part of the year he was dragging Fayne around. Fayne is fine as a bottom pairing defensive specialist, but he can't break the puck out of the zone to save his life, so that's why you see Sekera hanging back and playing cautious in my opinion

He was also playing with Nurse for a large stretch, and I believe it was woodguy who showed that Nurse dragged down whoever he was with. To be fair, of course Nurse is still young and also Sekera was playing the right side then, and he prefers the left.

A 5.5 AAV UFA shouldn't be expected to carry the whole team like what we tasked him with.

 

[MessierII]

If Sekera was physical, almost never made mistakes and could get over 40 points consistently he wouldn't have been on the market and wouldn't sign for 5.5 million.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

If Sekera was physical, almost never made mistakes and could get over 40 points consistently he wouldn't have been on the market and wouldn't sign for 5.5 million.

He's physical enough for me.

But yes I get your point.

If there were an Andrej Sekera fanclub I would be it's founding forefather emblazened on the fez.

 

[BarDownBobo]

With how well the Oesterle-Davidson pair worked I wonder if they plan going into next season might be to run with Sekera-Davidson. I think Sekera and Oesterle play similar styles, that could be very successful IMO.

 

[McWeber]

With how well the Oesterle-Davidson pair worked I wonder if they plan going into next season might be to run with Sekera-Davidson. I think Sekera and Oesterle play similar styles, that could be very successful IMO.

I could see it, though I picture Sekera, Davidson and Klefbom on the left side next season. Let Fayne (or someone else) and ideally Demers and Barrie (I apologize for anyone that is sick of me pumping his tires) on the right. Mix and match until you find the best fit.

 

[CupofOil]

The problem with Sekera is that he had to drag along Nurse and Fayne all year long although Fayne did somewhat improve towards the end of the season and Sekera is just not meant to be the lead guy on a pairing. If you put him as a #4 or even a #2 alongside a legit #1 as a support guy, I think he'd be great in that role.

We just went through this with Petry, you would think that Oiler fans would have learned by now that it's a bad idea to run legit NHL defensemen out of town. Sekera is another case of an Oiler Dman playing too big of a role. I think he would look very good with a puckmover like Vatanen. I also think that Klefbom would be an ideal fit with Hamonic. If that's the Oilers top 2 pairings next season (assuming that Klef is healthy), that's a pretty formidable top 4 even though there's no #1. Klefbom-Hamonic would eat the tough minutes while Sekera-Vatanen get fed offensive zone starts.

 

[Spawn]

People seriously want to get rid of Sekera? Such crazy talk. The Oilers have one top 4 d-men that played all last year. That was Sekera.

Klefbom is a bandaid, Davidson could be a flash in the pan for all we know and that's it. There's noone else that is a legit top 4 guy. But yeah, let's get rid of the most proven, most experienced and best d-man on the team. This forum is so backwards.

 

[shoop]

Pretty much. He's not going anywhere, so even if he's overrated he's going to be here regardless.

Chia said he was brought in as a 2nd pairing. We used him as a 1st pairing guy. As a 2nd pairing guy he will be excellent. I have little doubt of that. He had an up and down year but overall he was a solid veteran presence imo

Sekera is a slightly overpaid second pairing guy, but not crazily so.

Ideally your second pairing guys are in the 3.5 - 4.5M range. Fayne and Nikitin were in that range except they were 6/7D and AHLers respectively.

If Klefa is healthy then the team can spend the big bucks for a top pairing guy and hopefully Davidson can play with Sekera on the second pairing.

Fayne as your 5D with Oesterle/Nurse as your 6/7 guys?

Maybe bring in a vet on a one year deal to give Nurse some more time on the farm.

 

[iCanada]

You don't move Sekera. He is both our most consistent and our only real proven D.

We need more Sekera, not less. We had 6 Sekeras and we're a playoffs team.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

People seriously want to get rid of Sekera? Such crazy talk. The Oilers have one top 4 d-men that played all last year. That was Sekera.

Klefbom is a bandaid, Davidson could be a flash in the pan for all we know and that's it. There's noone else that is a legit top 4 guy. But yeah, let's get rid of the most proven, most experienced and best d-man on the team. This forum is so backwards.

Agreed. Everyone is sounding like MacT. This is Petry all over again. You don't trade away top four defense if that is your biggest weakness. It isn't Sekera's fault that he is played above his ability. That's how you end up second last with McDavid, Hall, Draisaitl. RNH, Ebs, etc.. on the roster -trading away your NHL calibre defensemen.

 

[The Bored Man]

People seriously want to get rid of Sekera? Such crazy talk. The Oilers have one top 4 d-men that played all last year. That was Sekera.

Klefbom is a bandaid, Davidson could be a flash in the pan for all we know and that's it. There's noone else that is a legit top 4 guy. But yeah, let's get rid of the most proven, most experienced and best d-man on the team. This forum is so backwards.

Damn straight. Some people didn't learn their lessons with Jeff Petry.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Sekera is far from a problem on this team. He started poorly and then ended the season pretty well IMO.

 

[syz]

Sekera is one of three defensemen who should still be here next season, the other two being Klefbom and Davidson. Just ideally none of them on the top pairing.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I think if you got Sekera out a role where he has to lead a pairing, and more into complementing it you would see him take off. Him and Davidson was a pairing I was liking the idea of, but I could see him complementing Klefbom really well.

I think you can get away with Davidson on the second pairing assuming he's with Klefbom or Sekera, and not being asked to carry Nurse or Fayne in that role.


Klefbom/Sekera-_______
Davidson-Klefbom/Sekera
Nurse/Fayne-_______

Just get two RH offensive defenceman to round out the roster (easy, right?)

 

[Kolja]

Swedish interview with Klefbom with some interesting tidbits:

Klefbom hopes else that he can be reunited with Jonas Brodin , defender colleague from the time of Färjestad and junior . It was rumored a trade between Edmonton and Minnesota in the winter , Brodin against Ryan Nugent-Hopkins , but it was never as Nugent - Hopkins was injured .

- I do not believe that it is absolutely impossible that Jonas (Brodin) joins Edmonton this summer. Minnesota has very good defenders, he has ended up slightly overshadowed .

• How would it be if it becomes a reality ?

- We've talked a lot about it, it would be incredibly fun. I think it would be good if we got to play together , it sits in the spinal cord.


He also mentions that he think the Oilers first round pick will be traded as "Our new general manager wants to see results now rather than us to be good in the long run".

(Source: http://www.vf.se/sport/ishockey/var-rumskamrat-med-mcdavid-och-hoppas-pa-brodin)

The RNH for Brodin rumour is news to me atleast.

 

[IAGTTAYM]

Nurse for Hamonic. 4th overall + Yak for Vatanen + ANA 1st round pick in 2016.

Hall-RNH-Draisaitl 6-6-3.4
Maroon-McDavid-Eberle 1.5-3.775-6
Pouliot-X-Kassian 4-X-1.75
Hendricks-Letestu-Korpikoski 1.85-1.8-2.5
Lander, Pakarinen 0.9875-0.925

Klefbom-Hamonic 4.167-3.857142
Sekera-Fayne 5.5-3.625
Davidson-Vatanen 1.425-4.5
Gryba 1.5
Ference buyout: 1.083333

Talbot 4.166666
X

70.311641M

1M for a backup goalie. The rest can be spent on a versatile vet UFA forward.

 

[Soundwave]

EDM 1st 2017 (top 5 protected) + Yakupov @1 mill retained or Reinhart
for
Sami Vatanen

Either they do that or you offer sheet Vatanen outright.

To MIN: Jordan Eberle + Mark Fayne
To EDM: Travis Hamonic + Thomas Vanek @1 mill retained
To NYI: Jonas Brodin

Oilers select: Pierre Luc Dubois

Hall Draisaitl Vanek
Pouliot McDavid Maroon
Dubois RNH Kassian
Korpi Letestu Hendricks
Pakirenen

Klefbom Hamonic
Sekera Vatanen
Davidson Nurse

Talbot
Broissoit